Reverse Osmosis Plants

Reverse osmosis plants provide a molecular water purification solution that is becoming increasingly important in the long-term sustainability of many cities and towns in the world, including several in South Africa. Veolia Water Technologies South Africa manufactures high-quality reverse osmosis membranes and chemicals, and will design, install and commission your reverse osmosis plant.

Reverse osmosis plants are effective in dividing many different solubles from their solvents, including calcium, iron and salts, via a semi-permeable membrane subjected to external pressure. Besides providing a fundamental water source in some of the world's major cities in the form of desalination, reverse osmosis plants are widely employed in:

The production of process and potable water

Polishing and demineralisation of boiler feedwater and pharmaceutical water

The rehabilitation and recycling of process and municipal effluent

As part of an integrated zero liquid discharge process

In addition to reverse osmosis plant installations for municipal applications, industrial companies are increasingly looking at ways in which reverse osmosis plants enable reuse of process water content, as well as improve the quality of wastewater discharge.

Reverse osmosis plants for desalination

Seawater constitutes 97% of the world's total water supplies! With almost a quarter of the world's population living within 25 km of the sea, desalination is becoming an increasingly attractive option in overcoming the water challenges posed by rapid population and economic growth.

In South Africa, desalination plants are a viable option in drought conditions and in supplementing existing water infrastructure. Their intrinsic design allows for the plant to be shut down during periods of reduced demand.

South Africa's major desalination reverse osmosis plants:

Veolia has installed several of South Africa's major reverse osmosis plants for desalination, including:

Reverse osmosis plant

Capacity in cubic metres/square

Completed

Mossel Bay

15 000 m3/day

2011

Transnet Saldanha

2 400 m3/day

2012

Knysna

2 000 m3/day

2010

Plettenberg Bay

2 000 m3/day

2010

Bushman’s River Mouth

1 800 m3/day

2010

Lambert’s Bay

1 700 m3/day

2012

Cannon Rocks

750 m3/day

2009

Notes:

Mossel Bay - Largest operational desalination plant in South Africa

Plettenberg Bay - This reverse osmosis plant included considerable aesthetic design considerations in order to blend the plant with the surrounding upmarket tourist area.

Small scale desalination plant solutions

Veolia is capable of providing small scale, reliable potable water solutions using reverse osmosis desalination in temporary and remote coastal settlements anywhere in South Africa and other African countries. Reverse osmosis technology can be fitted into a mobile, compact container with a simple plug and play installation procedure. Such reverse osmosis plants are used throughout Africa to support drinking, bathing and irrigation requirements.

Veolia Water Technologies has designed and constructed about 15% of the world’s desalination capacity. Complete the enquiry form below to find out how our technology can benefit your desalination requirements.

Hydrex™ Chemical Conditioning Products for Membrane Systems

Approved by leading international membrane manufacturers, the Hydrex™ 4000 range offers specifically formulated chemicals that keep membranes free of scale and bacterial growth, and aid in extending membrane life. Suitable for any membrane process, these chemicals play an important role during each stage of a plant's life cycle, from pre-treatment to preservation.